Social impact

Institutional capital now represents roughly a quarter of the UK’s £6.02bn impact investment affordable housing market as of the end of 2024, according to a report by Better Society Capital and The Good Economy.

The government hopes its new Office for the Impact Economy will provide a hub to drive large-scale funding into social impact. We asked senior figures in the sector for their views on the move.

Pension funds remain the most active investors in the UK’s social impact sector, with a strong focus on social and affordable housing, according to a report by Better Society Capital.

The Barcelona-based impact investor’s new fund includes investment protection mechanisms provided by state-owned COFIDES to attract private funding.

Panellists debated the complex issue of maintaining fiduciary duty while including natural, social and human capital when building resilience in institutional impact portfolios at this year’s Impact Investor Conference in The Hague.

The bond, launched as the COP30 climate summit takes place in Brazil, is intended to provide a blueprint for further issuance to support development in the region.

Ronald Lenz of the Hague Institute for Innovation of Law opened this year’s Impact Investor Conference highlighting the justice gap and why SDG 16 should be an investment priority.

The fund aims to help close the estimated annual $280bn climate adaptation gap and benefit 19million people living in emerging and developing countries, including least developed countries and small island developing states.

Rubio Impact Ventures will invest into 30 early and growth-stage companies addressing the climate crisis and social inequality.

The Education Outcomes Fund has launched the first of three programmes targeting early childhood education Africa, in partnership with the government of Rwanda and the LEGO Foundation as outcomes funders.